Hawkins was the first man through on a bumper day of snooker action now that play went down to a single table and he came through as the underdog against Ding Junhui. Ding was out of sorts from the start and Hawkins was much improved on a couple of poor showings at the start of the week, and after going 3-0 ahead he came through a fightback from the Chinaman to win through.
Ricky Walden will now be his opponent after he comfortably came through against Ali Carter. Walden started with a century and then had a second century in the third to lead 2-1. A fluke helped him on the way to a good clearance which gave him breathing space at 3-1, before another big break saw him over the line.
Mark Allen and Shaun Murphy both struggled but were able to come through their games and set up a semi-final. Allen missed plenty of easy shots and complained of problems with his cue but Mike Dunn was unable to capitalise and Allen still ended up winning comfortably. Murphy took a 3-1 lead against Ben Woollaston despite looking far away from the form he had shown earlier in the week, but he was soon under pressure when the Leicester man won the next two to force a decider. Both had chances once again in the decider and Woollaston probably had the best of them before Murphy ended up clinching the match with his second attempt at match ball blue.
Quarter-Final Results:
Shaun Murphy 4-3 Ben Woollaston
Mark Allen 4-1 Mike Dunn
Ricky Walden 4-1 Ali Carter
Barry Hawkins 4-2 Ding Junhui
Semi-Final Preview: (Picks in Bold)
Shaun Murphy Vs Mark Allen - Both of these two guys struggled through their quarter-finals this week but with differing reasons for that it would seem. Allen is struggling with his cue saying it could break on any power shot he plays. With no confidence in his tools it hardly makes a player hit the ball with any conviction and you do not want to be playing timidly in the pressure situation of a big semi-final. Murphy meanwhile just had an off night which was bound to happen eventually because you cannot keep up the same sublime form throughout two successive tournaments without some trouble. The important thing is that both players are still in and will feel more relaxed for the fact that they may be a little lucky to be here. However, if Allen continues to struggle with his cue issues then I expect Murphy to be a more able opponent to jump on his mistakes than Mike Dunn was in the quarter-finals and that could prove the difference on the night.Barry Hawkins Vs Ricky Walden - This semi-final brings back some interesting memories for both players. They have had three major meetings in recent years, twice at the World Championships where Hawkins came from a way behind to win both times, while Walden was victorious from a long way behind in their 2014 Masters meeting. Hawkins struggled in the first couple of rounds but is growing stronger now with his confidence and heavy scoring in the balls surging back in his win against Ding. Walden meanwhile has played really well all week. Scoring brilliantly he has already had four centuries in his 12 frames won and plenty of other big breaks on top of that. Now that Walden has found some form this week I have to say it feels like one of those weeks when he can beat anyone that is put in front of him as he has showed against Fu and Carter who did not do masses of things wrong. After a poor season there will also be that extra bit of hunger as well as plenty left in the tank to go on further here.
Two cracking semi-finals tomorrow over the best-of-11 frames with Hawkins and Walden playing in the afternoon and Murphy and Allen in the evening just before the clocks go forward here in the UK.
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